Birthdays!
Kids always want to celebrate their birthdays! (Well I think adults enjoy it too...) (That is, those who aren't going through severe denial that they turned 29.1 this year) (And no, it's not me... I don't know what you're talking about...)
I have a summer birthday, so I didn't get to celebrate during the school year, but I remember a good friend of mine bringing me balloons on January 20th, during school, to celebrate my half birthday. She too had a summer birthday, and as kids, it always stunk to not get to bring in cupcakes and treat bags! I can think back and remember kids bringing in all kinds of treats to share on their special day. I remember teachers doing something special for the birthday child. Maybe a special hat, desk, pencil, or a "No Homework" pass (those were the favs I'm sure!)
But, as a teacher, it's always heartbreaking to watch the parents who bring in a cake, chips, drinks, gifts, goody bags and balloons for their child, and then to see the kid who doesn't even know it's their birthday. We aren't "JUST" teachers, and these students become like our own children. In the area where I teach, the students don't "celebrate" their birthday the way I remember celebrating mine as a child. I have students who don't know when their birthday is for sure. This summer, I had two girls whose birthday is around mine. One of them told me that her family didn't get a cake because they didn't have enough money that week, but that maybe next week they would and then she would invite me over. Another girl told me that no one wished her "Happy Birthday". It broke my heart. I asked her if maybe her family just forgot, and she replied, no, they knew, but no one told me. I felt so badly for them. How sad to feel like that at the age of 10. So, the three of us all celebrated our birthday together! I brought cupcakes, lit a candle, sang to each of them separately, and then let them blow out the candle. It made their whole day :) It's such a great feeling when you make a difference in the life of a child.
At the beginning of the year, when I put their birthdays up on a chart, or on a balloon treat, some of my students don't know when their birthday is because they don't usually celebrate it. Now I am THAT teacher, who runs out to a grocery store at lunch, buys treats, and they "magically" appear in the office with a note that says, To: ________ for their birthday to share with class. They never know that they came from me. I have a wonderful secretary who will say something like, "Oh yea, I forgot who brought them, but it was someone you know!"
At the beginning of the year, when I put their birthdays up on a chart, or on a balloon treat, some of my students don't know when their birthday is because they don't usually celebrate it. Now I am THAT teacher, who runs out to a grocery store at lunch, buys treats, and they "magically" appear in the office with a note that says, To: ________ for their birthday to share with class. They never know that they came from me. I have a wonderful secretary who will say something like, "Oh yea, I forgot who brought them, but it was someone you know!"
But, let me tell you, that gets expensive, and I can't do that for every kid. I try to do it for 2-3 kids a year. I choose them based on who I think would really appreciate a special treat and who may never get to pass out a treat or celebrate their birthday at home.
For every kid, I try to do something for their special day. Some years it has been a pencil, a candy, a certificate... But then last year, I hit the jackpot! After looking on Pinterest (it has TOTALLY changed my teaching career), I found a cute way to make lil paper balloons and stick them to the top of a pencil or Pixy Stix. Now, I couldn't just have a regular Pixy Stix.... I am a "The More, The Merrier" kind of gal. So I bought the GINORMOUS Pixy Stix from Sam's Club. Now, just let me tell you that I become the world's coolest teacher last year. The kids were like, "Wow! No way! That's huge!" They LOVED them. So needless to say, I am repeating the same thing this year. That's what I'm working on now.
I used Powerpoint to make a balloon shape, typed in the message, and printed them onto printed cardstock.
I staple them to the top of a Pixy Stix and place them in a big candy jar looking thing... yes, so specific....
The first or second day of school, I write the name and birthday of each child on the top of the paper, and stick them in the candy jar. They sit there..... all year..... until it's the child's birthday.... They can barely handle the suspense for the first month or until the first birthday comes up and SOMEONE gets to take the big sugar filled stick home with them.
Go to my TPT store for a free download of the template I use for these!
1. They tell me it's their birthday.
2. I tell them to remind me at the end of the day to give them their gift when we are ready to leave (because I can barely remember anything most days).
3. Someone reminds me at the end of the day, sometimes more than once because I forget and am cramming more into the last 5 minutes of our day.
4. The birthday student stands in the front.
5. We all sing Happy Birthday, terribly off-key, but NO ONE CARES!
6. I dance around and swing the Pixy Stix like I am conducting a choir.
7. We finish singing, some kids continue with the rest of the birthday song we all sang as a child about Scooby Doo and Channel 2.
8. The kid takes home the Pixy Stix and paper balloon so that they are only insanely hyped on sugar for their family and not for me ;)
Now, for summer birthdays, I usually do them the last week of school. Each child still gets their own time to shine, so we sing Happy Birthday like 10 times that week. I've also considered doing summer birthday celebrations on their half birthdays. What do you think?
So that's how I celebrate birthdays, but sometimes I still feel like I want to incorporate more. Do you do anything special for the kids? I was thinking maybe that would be a good time to do a Star of the Week letter or something like that.... Any ideas?! Please share them below!
Good luck on the first week back, whenever that is for you! Thank you for being more than "just" a teacher!
xoxo
